Rising input price to increase fertiliser subsidy

So far in FY18, production of urea has been lower compared with last year

A sharp rise in raw material prices and a forecast of further increases are likely to put pressure on the government’s fertiliser subsidy Bill.
 
The cost of natural gas has increased by 17.5 per cent for the second half of the current financial year (the government revises  the price every six months) to $2.89/mBtu, from $2.46/mBtu for the first half between April and September. The government has said this is due to the sharp increase in crude oil prices; in the first half, it rose 22 per cent to $64.37 a barrel, from $52.71.
 
To make fertiliser affordable,